Bill, We know what's up.. we just don't know why. Kristy
--- On Fri, 2/18/11, Bill! <[email protected]> wrote: From: Bill! <[email protected]> Subject: [Zen] Re: Sex & The Enlightened Ones To: [email protected] Date: Friday, February 18, 2011, 5:17 AM Kristy, I have no idea what Gempo is up to - or why...Bill! --- In [email protected], Kristy McClain <healthyplay1@...> wrote: > > Bill and all, >  > Since we just had a discussion about sex between Teachers and students, I > had to pass this along. Bill-- this is getting to be daytime > drama-quality. Will Gempo be on "Dancing with the Stars" next?... k > >  > Dear Kanzeon Zen Center Members and Friends, >  > As you are no doubt aware, the situation at Kanzeon has been the subject of a > great deal of conversation on the internet and elsewhere, including an open > “Letter of Recommendation to Kanzeon Zen Centerâ€� from 44 American Zen > Teachers, which was sent to us directly by Kyogen Carlson of the Dharma Rain > Zen Center and posted two days ago on the Sweeping Zen website. >  > Attached is the Kanzeon Board’s response to that letter, which we are > sending today to Roshi Gerry Shishin Wick, President, of the White Plum > Asanga, and to the American Zen Teachers Association. We trust that they > will post our letter on their websites and pass it on to their members. >  > We would also like to remind you of the healing circle meeting tonight in the > Zendo at Kanzeon at 7:30. These meetings will not be broadcast or > recorded. Once again, we invite you to speak and listen from your heart, > and even if you have not been involved in the conversation until now, to join > us and participate actively in the healing and rebuilding of our sangha. >  > Sincerely, > The Kanzeon Board > > > ***** >  > > > >  To Members of the American Zen Teachers and White Plum Asanga: > > >   > As members of the Board of Kanzeon Zen Center, we have received many e-mails > and phone calls concerning the highly-publicized situation resulting from > Genpo Merzel’s admission of his transgressions and sexual misconduct. These > communications from Zen teachers in your organizations and others, not to > mention open letters and other postings on various social media and internet > sites, are filled with advice and recommendations, many of which are beyond > the scope of our responsibility as a Board. To the extent that they are > motivated by a sincere concern for the survival, healing and rebuilding of > our sangha, we would like to share with you an account of some of our efforts > to date. >  > • Feb. 3rd: Shortly after returning from the international sangha meeting > in Europe, Genpo Merzel met with the sangha at the Zen Center in Salt Lake > City in an open meeting which was widely publicized in advance. He admitted > his misconduct (which had already been made public but wasn’t known by all > attending), apologized for his actions for which he bears the blame and > responsibility, and responded to the pain, anger, concerns, questions, and > feelings of his wife, family and sangha members. >  > • Feb. 6th: Genpo Merzel announced he is disrobing as a Soto Zen Buddhist > priest, resigning as a member of the White Plum Asanga, acknowledged his own > dishonest, hurtful behavior as well as his sexual misconduct, and said he has > entered therapy which will continue indefinitely. This statement was posted > on his website on Feb. 7th â€" http://bigmind.org/Responsibility.html. >  > • Feb. 8th: Kanzeon Zen Center announced that Richard Taido Christofferson > Sensei will be taking over the teaching functions, training, administration, > day-to-day operations, scheduling of all events, ceremonies, retreats, etc. > as Vice Abbot and full time resident teacher. Kanzeon and Big Mind (a > separate corporate entity) will also separate their websites, and Big Mind > will continue as a separate secular practice, not connected with the Soto Zen > Buddhist School. This announcement is posted at http://bigmind.org/Home.html. >  > • Feb. 10th: The first of a projected series of council meetings was held > with community members who wished to attend and express their feelings and > their views on attempts for future healing. >  > • Feb. 13th: Taido Sensei arrived in Salt Lake City to lead a town hall > meeting to which all local members were invited. He outlined his vision for > the future of Kanzeon under his leadership and responded to the concerns of > the audience. >  > • Ongoing: The Board is formulating a Code of Ethics and Guidelines for > Procedures addressing issues of misconduct, abuse, and grievances within the > sangha, based on models already instituted by other groups. They will be > adopted as soon as possible. >  > Further, an e-mail sent to us yesterday by members of your organizations > raised six issues, to which we briefly respond as follows: >  > 1. Teaching. Genpo Merzel is taking an indefinite leave of absence of at > least a year from Kanzeon. The Board has no authority over Big Mind, Inc. >  > 2. Therapy. This is a matter for health care professionals working with Genpo > to determine. This is not within the expertise or purview of the Board. >  > 3. Salt Lake Zen Center. The Board is making every effort to maintain the > facilities and keep the Center open for the community. This effort has been > hampered by the heated rhetoric coming from the Zen Teacher community, in > particular those who have reached out to members of our community to inflame > reactions that are more adversarial than cooperative. >  > 4. Money Issues. The Board is supporting Taido Sensei's effort to maintain > the flow of revenue through memberships and programs. His teaching schedule > for the next two months will be posted shortly. We are a small Sangha, which > has been financially supported by Genpo's teaching for many years and more > recently by his teaching through Big Mind, Inc. He has offered to continue to > support Kanzeon to the extent he can. Therefore, donations you wish to make > to enable the Board to implement item 6 below would be welcomed. >  > 5. Public Statement of Apology. Genpo has apologized and his apology is > posted at http://bigmind.org/Responsibility.html. He continues to talk full > responsibility for the harm his actions have caused. >  > 6. Outside expert assistance. Taido Sensei has been in contact with several > Dharma teachers in the White Plum Asanga, who have offered their support and > willingness to come to Kanzeon to share their skills as teachers, therapists, > and leaders who have experienced the problems of leading centers through > similar crises. The Board in consultation with Taido Sensei will develop a > plan that will include consultation with and participation of these and other > Zen teachers. The Board has also been in contact with organizations, which > can provide experienced, objective, professional assistance in guiding us to > the creation of a healthier sangha with proper safeguards and strategies to > avoid any future misconduct and abuse. >  > As you might expect, these activities are occurring in an environment that is > under great stress. The Center’s very small staff which is implementing the > changes we have set in motion, is struggling to maintain the Center’s > schedule and commitments in financially constricted conditions, not to > mention the strong daily practice which all agree is vital especially now, > while at the same time coping with a deluge of phone calls and emails > engendered by the ever-increasing volume of recommendations and calls for > action like yours. Long-time bonds of respect and friendship among members of > the sangha are being frayed and broken. People with little or no connection > to our sangha or Center have appeared at meetings designed to promote healing > only to offer their own inflammatory views on our situation. Our Zendo has > been vandalized, a beloved statue stolen from the altar. >  > Under these circumstances, we respectfully request that those people who > sincerely hope that we at Kanzeon survive and heal as a community, and create > an environment and adopt procedures that lessen the possibility of any future > misconduct or abuse, will extend us a little patience and allow us the time > and breathing space to restore the peace and harmony of the sangha and the > strength and sound practice of its members. Genpo Merzel has repeatedly > reiterated his full support for all of the actions taken by the Board and > Sensei as outlined above. >  > Board of Trustees of Kanzeon, Inc. > > Kanzeon Zen Center > 1268 E. South Temple > Salt Lake City, UT 84102 > > > --- On Thu, 2/17/11, Anthony Wu <wuasg@...> wrote: >
